Al Schwarz wanted a home with low energy bills and protection from extreme weather so he dug into a hillside, inserted cement domes and buried them again with enough earth and rock to guarantee protection.
He spent 10 years stacking 230 tons of rock as a retaining wall and planting grass and trees atop the home. The final home is heavy enough to guarantee a steady temperature. “A normal house weighs about 46 tons,” explains Schwarz. “This one weighs between 600 and 700 tons, so it cannot change temperature rapidly – only about a degree in 24 hours. Therefore, it's very easy to keep the inside comfortable.”
His 7 acres cost $49,000, though he took out a loan to build the domes which was not easy to find for such a non-conforming property. He finally found one that had financed other dome homes in the past.
With a greenhouse of vegetables and potatoes, and a lake in his backyard for fishing he is nearly entirely self-sufficient. The home is powered by solar and often feeds back into the grid.
His earth-sheltered home has also become a refuge for neighbors during extreme weather. One neighbor was so impressed they have installed their own prefab dome for private protection from storms.
On *faircompanies https://faircompanies.com/videos/veteran-coder-builds-stone-covered-dome-home-into-texas-hill/
Wow. So lovely.
Kirsten, did you show this guy that amazing hydraulic lift fridge in the Canadian underground dome home? That’s a natural for these domes.
I missed a detail. Where did he buy the domes? I’m wondering if something like this could work in a snow climate. I’d imagine there is ambient temperature would be in the 50s.
Incredible
While I wouldn’t live in Texas, this is kinda my dream property. I love domes and stone, has a lake w/ fish, disaster safe, greenhouse, it’s pretty perfect.
Ma perché non mettere i sottotitoli visto che ti seguiamo da molte parti del mondo?
What a weirdo & I like him a lot….
Hey Kirsten, great find and interview. If you live eccentric Texan communities check out Ransom Canyon in Lubbock County. Lived there for a few years. Quite a few similar amazing experimental houses.
Wow.what else could anyone need in this world? This is beautiful living!
what a dream home… i wish!
You showed an underground dome house before, that felt like a bunker, and seemed dark inside. This one is friendly and inviting. The rocks look great. Really nice place overall.
MERCI thanks . C est exactement comme ca que je reve de vivre sur des hectares c est magnifique.kirsten ici en France il y a la meme conception .dans les Cévennes ou Ardèche
STUNNING home. Well done man!!! The worst type of home, IMO, is just square corners everywhere. 90 degree angles get boring. This home is the OPPOSITE of that! So cool!!
The bedpod is evidence of how obsessed Shwarz is, with his creation, and i love it 😂
I wish you had talked about the concrete domes that he bought and had other people install.
my back is hurting just watching him move the rocks in 2007. I wonder how many times he hurt himself.
this is so cool. I could live like this. woow, you even fit a pool table inside, you’re my dude.
❤❤❤
Don’t wanna have a negative focus. But are the visible cracks in the dome,.. ok? 😬